Transmission Technology

WiMAX  is a telecommunications technology for wireless transmission of data using  a variety of transmission modes with speed up to 3 Mbit/s based on the IEEE 802.16 standard. The name is an acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access created by the WiMAX Forum to promote conformity and interoperability of the standard. The forum describes WiMAX as "a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL". 

WiMAX subscriber (or client) units are available in both indoor and outdoor versions from several manufacturers. Indoor units are the size of a cable modem. They are convenient, but due to the increased radio losses, the subscriber must be significantly closer to the WiMAX base station than with external units. Outdoor units are about the size of a laptop, and their installation is comparable to the installation of a residential satellite dish. With the potential of mobile WiMAX, there is an increasing focus on portable units. This includes smart phones, PC peripherals (PC Cards or USB dongles), and embedded devices in laptops.

WiMAX is considered as a replacement candidate for cellular phone technologies (GSM  and CDMA), as well as the wireless backhaul technology for 2G, 3G and 4G. 

The WiMAX Forum has proposed an architecture that defines how a WiMAX network can be connected with an IP based core network, which is typically chosen by operators that serve as Internet Service Providers (ISP); Nevertheless the WiMAX BS provides seamless integration capabilities with other types of architectures as with packet switched Mobile Networks.

The functional architecture can be designed into various hardware configurations rather than fixed configurations. More information at: www.wimaxforum.org